Arrangement for feeding cables, hoses and the like to a movable station



Dec. 15, 1964 H. MERKER 3,161,205

ARR EMENT FOR FEEDING CABLES, HOSES Asgs STATION A THE LIKE TO A MOV Filed Feb. 18,

United States ate :1

lice

3 161,205 ARRANGEMENT FOR FEEDHNG (IABLEZ'l, HUSESl ANE THE LEKE TO A MUVABLE STATEQN Herbert Merirer, iegen, Westphalia, Gert-irony, assignor to Kabelschlepp G.m.b.H., fiie cn, Westphalia,

Germany Filed Feb. 18, 1.963, Scr. No. 259,626 llaiins priori application Germany Feb. 2%, H62 6 Lianne. (Q1. l37-35S.l7)

The present invention relates to an arrangement for feeding cables, hoses and the like to a movable station and, more specifically, is concerned with an arrangement of this type in which a flexible carrier adapted to support energy-conveying means such as cables, hoses and the like has a variable stationary section supported by stationary means and has a variable movable section connected to a movable station or member such as a crane, a carriage or the like.

According to a heretofore known arrangement of the above mentioned type, the flexible carrier consists of a steel band or an elastic band of synthetic material or of a steel band or the like covered on one or both sides with a synthetic material, having the energy carriers arranged thereon adjacent to each other and connected to said carrier band while a supporting rail is provided above the movable section of the carrier band with the said movable section movably suspended on said supporting rail for movement in longitudinal direction thereon. Such an arrangement, however, permits only relatively low driving speeds in view of the friction occurring on the supporting members.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for feeding cables, hoses and the like to a movable station, which will overcome the above mentioned drawback.

It is another object of this invention to provide an arrangement for feeding cables, hoses and the like to a movable station which as elastic carrier employs an elastic band but permits high driving speeds and is extremely simple in construction while being of low weight.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a portion of an arrangement according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates by way of example the construction of a tiltable supporting rail section.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the path of movement of a supporting roller from the plane of the lower or slack band section to its correpsonding supporting rail and vice versa.

General Arrangement The arrangement for feeding cables, hoses and the like to a movable section, according to the present invention, is characterized primarily in that as carrier member there is provided an elastic band having laterally thereof supporting rails and supporting rollers while the supporting rails are provided with passages for permitting the passage of the supporting rollers at the respective portion Where portions of the upper band section move downwardly to become portions of the lower band section.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the supporting rails extend from the passages for the supporting rollers downwardly to such an extent that the supporting rollers can roll threon up to their points of rest. in order to allow the construction of such arrangements with as high tolerances as possible in order on one hand to increase the safety of operation and on the other hand to increase the economy or" production,

according to the present invention the supporting rail sections extending from the passages for the supporting rollers to the rest point of the respective roller are arranged so as to be tiltable. In this connection, the said tiltable rail sections may be subjected to a spring force or the like urging the same against the supporting roller.

In order to prevent the supporting roller from sliding oil? the tiltable supporting rail section in the rest position of the suppoitin roller, the ends of said tiltable rail section may be hook-shaped for receiving the supporting roller.

Structural A rrangem eizt Referring now to the drawings in detail, the arrangement for feeding cables, hoses and the like to a movable station, according to the present invention comprises a carrier in the form of an elastic band It which carries supporting members as for instance webs 11 provided with corresponding bores therethrough for receiving and supporting energy-conveying means 12 as for instance electric cables, hoses for conveying compressed air or fluids and the like. These energy carriers are so supported that between the elastic band Ii and the energyconvying means 12 a limited compensation in longitudinal direction thereof will be possible to avoid stresses on these members. The elastic band 1%? carries rollers 13 arranged laterally thereof and protruding beyond the side edges of band ill.

The rollers 13 are arranged for movement on and in cooperation with rails 22 forming part of a supporting frame 2i? which comprises a bottom 21 for supporting the lower or rest section iila of the carrier band and turf erinore comprises uprights 29a which carry the supporting rails 22.. The supporting rails 22 are provided with passages 23 for the passage of the supporting rollers 13. While in the drawings only one passage 23 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively, it is, of course, understand that a plurality of such passages are provided along the rails namely wherever a section of the supporting rail extends downwardly to the bottom 21.

The supporting rails 22 are, at the respective passage 23, extended to the bottom 21 by means of extension sections 24. These extension sections 24 have their lower ends connected to the bottom 21 in any convenient manner, for instance with plates 25 and connecting bolts 26.

Operation The operation of the arrangement according to the present invention will be obvious from Fl. 1. More specifically, the lower right-hand portion of the carrier band it) is held stationary and connected to the energy supply means, while the upper right-hand portion of band ll) is connected to a movable consumer (not shown) as for instance a crane. Assuming that such consumer is moving from the right side to the left side of FIG. 1, it will be appreciated that more and more of the movable or upper band section will be laid down on the bottom 21 and thus becomes stationary. While this occurs, the respective roller pairs 13 carried by band Ill and spaced in longitudinal direction thereof will pass through the respective passages 23, roll down the extension sections 24 and come to rest on the bottom 21. When the consumer moves in the opposite direction, i.e. from the left side to the right side of FIG. 1, the reverse procedure takes efiect which means that more and more portions of the flexible band are picked up from the bottom 21 and move onto the rails 22 thereby becoming the upper portion of the band.

As to the contour of the extension sections 24, it is to be noted that this contour follows the contour of an ellipse the respective passage 23.

"'sector"(FIG. 3) and not, as the approximately semicircularly-bent offhand portion at the right-hand part of FIG. 3 might indicate, on a circular path with the radius R. The small axis 1) of this ellipse sector-shaped path corresponds to approximately the distance between a roller 13 "shortly-before it passes through the passage 23 and the bottom 21.

A particularly advantageous .construction of the extensionsection' 24 is shownin FIG. 2 of the drawing. 'As' willbe seen from FIG. 2, each of the supporting rails 22 has at the passage 23 thereof joined thereto, for instance section 27 from roller 13 will be impossible in view of a spring 30 which always sees to it thatxthe rail section 27 engages the respective roller 13 when the latter is within "the region or" the rail section 27.

It will also be evident from the above that this rail section 27 which is elastic will elastically adapt itself to any occurring non-uniformities of the band and the band pitch.

The thrust 'of spring 30 may be so selected that the rail section 27 after roller 13 has left the same will place itself below the passage 23 so as to bridgethe same for those rollers 23 which are not supposed to pass through It will, however, be understood that even'if such bridging effect is not produced by rail section 27 for the rollers which are not supposed to pass through the respective passage '23, such rollers will not do so inasmuch as they are held in their horizontal position on rails 22 and above the respective passages 23 by the band 10.

7 It is, of course, to be understood that. the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular constructions shown in the drawings but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

- I What I claim is:

1. An arrangement for feeding energy and consumer goods through conveying means, especially cables and hoses, from a stationary station to a movable station,

which comprises: flexible carrier band means having a variable and movable upper section and a variable stationary lower section, a return bend of substantially v180 degrees joining thesections, pairs of supporting means carried by said band means and protruding therefrom laterally beyond the longitudinal edges of said. band means, said pairs of supporting means being spaced from each other in longitudinal direction of said band means, and supporting rail means arranged at substantially the 4 means, said pairs of supporting means being spaced from each other in longitudinal directionof said band means, supporting rail means arranged at substantially the level of the supporting means of said upper section for supporting the supporting means of said upper section, said supporting rail means being provided with passages therethrough for allowing respective adjacent supporting means to pass through said passages, said passages being spaced from each other in longitudinal direction of said band means in conformity with the spacing of said pairs of supporting means, and extension rail means respectively leading from said supporting rail means at said passages downwardly to said stationarylower section and having a contour substantially corresponding to the natural path of said supporting meansdescribed bythe latter when the respective upper section of said band means moves along a curve downwardly to become a lower section'of said band means, whereby said supporting means when moving from the upper to the lower section and vice versa moves along said extension rail means and is supported thereby during such movement.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, in which said extension rail means is hingedlyr connected to said .supporting rail means.

' 4; Anarrangement for feeding energy. and consumer goods through, conveying. means," especially hoses and cables, from a stationary station to a movable station,

which comprises flexible carrier band-means having a variable'and movable upper section and, a variable stationary lowersection, a return bend .of substantially 180 degrees joining the sections-pairs of supporting'means carried by i said band meansand protruding therefrom laterally beyond the longitudinal edgesof said band means, said pairs of supporting'means being.:spaced'from each other in longitudinal direction of said band means, supporting rail means arranged at substantially. thevlevel of the supporting means of said upper .section for supporting. thesupporting means of said. upper section, said supporting rail means being providedwith' passages therethrough for allowing respective adjacent supportingmeans to pass through'said passages, said passages :being .spaced from each other in longitudinal direction of said band means in conformity with the spacing of said pairs of supporting means, extension rail means'respectively leading from said supporting rail means at said passages downwardly to said stationary-lower section andhaving a contour. sublevel of the supporting means of said upper section for supporting the supporting means of said upper section,

said supporting rail means being provided with passages therethroughfor allowing respective adjacent supporting meansto pass through said passages, said passages being spaced from each other in longitudinal direction of said band means in conformity with the spacing of said pairs of supporting means. 7 2. An'arrangement for feeding energy and consumer goods through conveying means especially cables and hoses, from a stationary station to a movable station,

'which comprises flexible carrier band means having a stantially corresponding to thenatural path of. said supportingmeans described by the latterwhen the respective upper section ofsaid band means moves along a curve downwardly to become a lower section of said band means,- whereby said supporting means when moving from the upperto the lower section and vice versamoves along i said extension rail means and is supported thereby during such movement, and spring means operable during movement of the respective supporting means over said extension rail means to press the latter against said respective supporting means.

5. An arrangement according to claim .2, in which the lower end of said extension rail means is hook-shaped for receiving and resting the respective supporting means having passed over the respective. extension rail means.

6. An arrangementaccordin'g to claim 2, in which said extension rail means is of slightly yieldable resilient material.

= References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,864,907 vWaninger Dec. 6, 1958 

1. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR FEEDING ENERGY AND CONSUMER GOODS THROUGH CONVEYING MEANS, ESPECIALLY CABLES AND HOSES, FROM A STATIONARY STATION TO A MOVABLE STATION, WHICH COMPRISES: FLEXIBLE CARRIER BAND MEANS HAVING A VARIABLE AND MOVABLE UPPER SECTION AND A VARIABLE STATIONARY LOWER SECTION, A RETURN BEND OF SUBSTANTIALLY 180 DEGREES JOINING THE SECTIONS, PAIRS OF SUPPORTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BAND MEANS AND PROTRUDING THEREFROM LATERALLY BEYOND THE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF SAID BAND MEANS, SAID PAIRS OF SUPPORTING MEANS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID BAND MEANS, AND SUPPORTING RAIL MEANS ARRANGED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE LEVEL OF THE SUPPORTING MEANS OF SAID UPPER SECTION FOR SUPPORTING THE SUPPORTING MEANS OF SAID UPPER SECTION, SAID SUPPORTING RAIL MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH PASSAGES THERETHROUGH FOR ALLOWING RESPECTIVE ADJACENT SUPPORTING MEANS TO PASS THROUGH SAID PASSAGES, SAID PASSAGES BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID BAND MEANS IN CONFORMITY WITH THE SPACING OF SAID PAIRS OF SUPPORTING MEANS. 